Polar bear season coming!

In Churchill every season is polar bear season. True “Churchillians”..er, that is “locals”…never stop thinking about polar bears. It would be truly unwise to do so. A constant guard has to be maintained living in this frontier town. Other than the heart of winter, one has to be alert to surroundings 24/7. For all others, October and November signify a gathering, not just of bears, but of people. Travelers also migrate to the north..Churchill…to become a part of this amazing phenomena known as “polar bear season”.

In about two weeks Churchill will begin to feel the stir of this year’s polar bear season. The town will transition from the lull between Summer and the frenetic pace of the busiest time of the year. For this town of about 900 residents, the world will be watching. Thousands will converge upon this tiny town on the shores of the Hudson Bay and the one main street running through the heart of town..Kelsey Boulevard. The town will become an incredible melting pot of people and wildlife for two months and then stillness.

Here are some of my favorite, classic images from recent years in Churchill!

Polar bear sniffing the air. Brad Josephs photo.

Polar bear resting in willows.

Curious polar bear detects scent.

Two polar bears prepare to spar.

Polar bear resting on a rock. Brad Josephs photo.

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I’m sitting in the Winnipeg airport after a very successful trip. There were up to 5 bears hanging around the Tundra Lodge and a few others milling around here and there. Also owls were spotted daily, Ptarmigan, a hare, a red fox, and variety of other birds.

I do wonder about the post about the aurora as it was cloudy on the days around the 17th. I would temper expectations and if you happen to see it, consider yourself lucky.

ChurchillPolarBears.org is the premier online destination for information about the polar bear population that returns each year to the remote sub-Arctic outpost of Churchill, Manitoba in Canada, to await the freezing of the Hudson Bay in early autumn.